What’s So Special About Yas Island? 5 Destinations That Will Make You Want to Visit

Ever heard of Yas Island? That vast 2,500-hectare artificial land in Abu Dhabi is one of the most famous landmarks of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) capital.

But why do people talk about Yas Island so much? What’s so special about it?

If you’re wondering about this, you should know that the place is built as an entertainment hub. This means that everything about it is designed to fill guests with excitement and contagious happy energy.

If you’re still skeptical about it, below is a list of the five Yas Island destinations and their unique offerings that will make you want to visit:

1. Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi

If you read a few articles or watched videos about Yas Island, you probably heard about the “Big Three” theme parks there. One of them is Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi – a famous water park that brings culture and adventure together into one awesome destination.

Yas Waterworld is known for 40+ unique experiences, offering heart-pounding fun for guests of all ages – from fun-filled child- and family-friendly attractions to the highest waterslide in the park.

But what’s most special about this water park is its unique theme that is reminiscent of the ancient Emirati livelihood.

The park’s attractions revolve around the story “The Legend of the Lost Pearl.” This fictitious narrative follows the adventures of a young girl named Dana and her friends in their journey to retrieve the missing pearl that was stolen from the pearl diving village of Qaryat Al Jewana.

Besides characters from the story roaming around the park, most of the theme park rides and slides are named after some aspects of the story. The rest take on monikers inspired by famous landmarks and tourist destinations in the UAE.

2. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi
   

If you have yet to visit Yas Island, you probably haven’t encountered any Ferrari-themed amusement parks before. That’s because the Abu Dhabi island houses the first and only one in the country.

Like Yas Waterworld, the Ferrari-branded theme park has 40 exciting experiences, some of which are bucket list-worthy.

Each attraction offers something that can be linked to the luxury sports car brand: speed, cars, and Italy – home of motorsport legends.

Formula Rossa, for instance, is not only designed to mimic the actual speed of race cars but was also inspired by a famous Italian racetrack: the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.

Likewise, Flying Aces got its name from legendary aviator Francesco Baracca, who was given the moniker “Ace of Aces” after his 34 aerial victories during the first world war. On top of that, the prancing black horse emblem on his plane inspired Enzo Ferrari’s racing car logo which is now a crucial part of the Ferrari brand identity.

3. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi

Completing Yas Island’s theme park trio is Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi – the largest indoor amusement park on the planet.

Spanning 150,000 square meters, the park is divided into six areas – called “Lands” – each designed around a different Warner Bros. franchise.

From Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera to DC Comics, there’s much to see and do in the park that will help you rekindle fond childhood memories. You may even get a chance to experience them with your children.

Start your adventure at Cartoon Junction, where you’ll find all your favorite Looney Tunes characters roaming around the place or featured in rides.

From there, proceed to Dynamite Gulch, which houses a few familiar critters, like the Road Runner and his wily nemesis, Wile E. Coyote.

After that, you can head over to Bedrock and go back in time to celebrate Stonetennial Day with The Flintstones, everyone’s favorite primitive family.

If you want to experience something more heroic, bear witness to the Justice League’s battle against nefarious villains in Metropolis or become part of Batman’s crew to eliminate crime in the streets of Gotham City.

4. CLYMB Abu Dhabi
   

Think you’ve seen everything Yas Island has to offer? Think again.

Besides the Big Three Yas Theme Parks, Yas Island also features the world’s ultimate indoor adventure hub: CLYMB Abu Dhabi.

Offering indoor wall climbing and skydiving, CLYMB helps guests reach new heights in both the literal and figurative sense. After all, it houses the planet’s tallest rock climbing wall and largest skydiving chamber.

The adventure hub welcomes climbers of all skill levels, some as young as four years old.

There, you’ll have five climbing walls to choose from:

• The Boulder (3 meters high, 57 meters wide)
• The Beginner (5.5 meters high)
• The Intermediate (10 meters high)
• The Advanced (22 meters high)
• The SUMMYT (42 meters high)

The SUMMYT also has 13 unique routes that let you take your skills in indoor wall climbing to the next level.

Meanwhile, CLYMB’s indoor skydiving wind tunnel surpasses every other flight chamber on the planet with a whopping 32-meter height and 9.7-meter width. It is also equipped with four times more fans than the standard chamber, which significantly increases its flight power.

Sounds like an adult-only activity, right?

Not really. After all, the hub also welcomes young flyers to their Junior Flight Club. Kids aged three to 14 years old can join and enjoy 20 flight sessions, with one-on-one coaching from certified skydiving instructors.

5. Yas Marina Circuit

If you’re a motorsport fan, this is probably your favorite part of Yas Island.

Besides Ferrari World, Yas Marina Circuit is a famous destination for car racing enthusiasts. This isn’t surprising, considering that the place is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and home to the world’s longest Formula One (F1) circuit.

While waiting for the next F1 race, you can enjoy Yas Marina Circuit’s other offerings, including the Ride, Drive, Drag, and Drift experiences. You can also try go-karting at the Yas Kartzone and burn rubber on the same track as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix pro car racers.

The Adventure of a Lifetime

Yas Island is an excellent destination for the adventure of a lifetime, thanks to the world-renowned destinations listed here. If you’re seeking a way to amp up your Yas Island visit, you can also plan your trip around limited-time events like ladies’ day in Abu Dhabi for a more memorable experience.